Comeuppance
by wisdominfic
Summary: Robin disobeys Batman in a rare display of defiance. Does Tim get what's coming to him or is Bruce being overly harsh? Warning: contains corporal punishment.
1. Chapter 1

"Ow! Batman!" Robin the Boy Wonder found his backside in quite a lot of pain as Batman continued to whack away without deterrent.

They were in the Batmobile on the edge of Gotham city, stopped along the side of the road. Tim didn't think it was a good idea to just be stopped here, as the Batmobile wasn't exactly your average road vehicle and often drew attention, but Batman seemed to think the correction of his charge couldn't wait.

Tim squirmed; there was very little room in the compartment for this kind of physical activity. He was lying over Batman's lap with his head nearly touching the floorboard on the driver's side. Tim pushed one hand out to steady himself as he was slowly slipping further onto the floorboard. Batman must have noticed the inconvenience of their positions and stopped abruptly. He pushed Tim up off of him, back into the passenger seat, and roughly buckled his seatbelt for him. 'I'm not a little child' Tim thought, but as his backside was throbbing and he was more than confused by this point, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"We're not finished." Batman said gruffly as they barreled down the country road towards Wayne Manor at breakneck speeds.

Tim nodded to no one in particular and stared down at his hands, he had a feeling he was in for an even longer night than he had had thus far.

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"Kon," Tim spoke hurriedly into the small sleek cell phone, "You know I want to hang out, but I've got solo patrol for the first half of tonight and then I meet up with Batman to try and bust the Montego Crime Syndicate's monthly meeting."

"Dude, that bust sounds like nothing. Just ditch the solo and come chill for a bit, I'll help you get back to Batman in time for your little break up." Kon was always a bit too relaxed for Tim's taste, but he liked the guy well enough, and hanging out with him was usually fun. Plus, he hated to admit it, he thought the other teen was pretty cool and wanted Kon to like him.

"Yeah, I don't know. Bruce's been on edge lately and I don't want to push him further." Tim glanced around in paranoia, sure that anytime his misspoke about Bruce, Alfred was sure to be inconveniently nearby and eavesdropping.

"Come on, you're young, you spend all of your time and energy either studying, researching, training, or kicking ass, just take a 15 minute break. We'll grab some burgers or something and check out the new 15th street district. It's nothing. You could even say it was research if you got caught." Kon laughed. Tim envied the boy's freedom.

"Alright, fine. But only for 15 or 20 minutes, nothing lengthy, dangerous, or time-consuming. I'll meet you at the corner of Picksworth and 15th at 9:30pm. You got it?"

"Awesome man. See you then Rob." And Kon was out.

Guilt crept into the back of Tim's mind but he quickly shoved it out. He was a teenager, he deserved to have a little fun – Bruce had probably forgotten what it was like to be 16. He would have a little break and then get back to the action, no harm, no foul.

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"Stay." Batman barked as he parked the car. The stoic man jumped out of the Batmobile, leaving a forlorn Robin in the passenger seat. Soon Batman came around and opened the side passenger door. He reached over and unbuckled his charge's seatbelt and wrenched the boy out by his forearm.

"Please, Batman, let me-"

"No." Batman cut him off, "Be silent."

Oh shit, this could not be good. It was rare that Batman gave him such direct and harsh orders in the Batcave. Sure, business was business but usually in the dank dark cave Batman became more patient, more understanding, more…human?

They had reached a metal medical table on the opposite side of the cave. Batman reached under Tim's arms and lifted him up to sit on the top of it. He immediately began searching Tim's body for signs of damage.

"Oh, so now you suddenly care about my well-being." The moment the words came out of his mouth Tim regretted them. The ungrateful sassiness of them.

Bruce stopped his ministrations and glared, just enough to make Robin gulp, and then went back to his business of covering up the various wounds and cuts that snaked Robin's arms and legs.

"I didn't mean it!" Robin blurted out.

"Silence." Batman didn't need to be loud with his command. His gruff voice was enough.

Tim sat there contritely, tears falling down his face.

"Turn over."

Batman continued his care. Normally Alfred or Leslie would take care of his wounds, but tonight Bruce did it instead.

"Off the table and bend over." Another gruff command.

Tim, not wanting to further his list of transgressions, hopped to obey. He felt the top of his tights being lowered, he looked back, confused as to what Batman was going to do, and saw a needle in his hand.

"Batman, what is that?" Tim hated shots, and he hated medical care without explanation.

"It's a tetanus shot, some of your cuts were metal-induced and it has been awhile since your last one." Batman said all of this as if Robin should have already known it.

"I could have sworn the last one was only a few months ago!" Tim's voice was shaky and he backed away from Bruce slowly, hoping to get out of the shot.

Bruce reached out and grabbed Tim with his free hand,

"I know you hate this Robin but I don't think it can wait. Now, please, be still and take the shot."

Robin began to feel trapped and panicked. He wasn't used to this gruff sort of care. He didn't like waiting for the rest of his punishment. He felt totally helpless and the thought of a painful shot at this time elevated his fear.

"No, I won't…I can't." Robin tried to yank himself out of Batman's grip.

"Robin." Batman snarled in a warning tone.

"Please…" Tim began to thrash.

"That's it." Batman grabbed the boy, pinned him under his arm and to his side, bent him over, yanked down the suit and tights, and quickly administered the shot. Robin wriggled in place and whimpered but did not fight too much. Batman raised his charge back up to face him. Robin's eyes were red and there were tear tracks down his face.

"Ow." The boy sniffed. Batman wiped at one of his stray tears.

"I don't like to be so rough with you Robin, but sometimes you force my hand." Batman looked concerned and sad, his mask of anger and disappointment gone for the moment.

"I'm sorry." Tim shakily offered.

"I know."

"I'll accept whatever punishment you have for me."

"Yes, you will."

-----

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Thanks for all of the kind reviews, adds, and support! I know I hate waiting months for stories to be completed so I'll try to work somewhat quickly. I am a very busy student so this will be a challenge, but your support makes me want to write more. Thank you! Enjoy. :)

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Robin was standing in the corner of locker room in the Batcave, while Batman was off cooling down and doing a status check on Gotham. After being forced to take a tetanus shot like a little unruly child Tim had looked up to see deep disappointment in Bruce's eyes. His breath stuck in his throat, but before he could do anything about his emotions, he was roughly pulled to the locker room and shoved into a corner,

"Think about all of the mistakes you've made tonight Robin, because you will have to recount them later." Batman then stalked off into another part of the cave.

Robin sighed. He had not gone into tonight thinking he was going to be rebellious, thinking that he was going to misbehave and not follow orders. He was just going to chill with Superboy for a bit, nothing big.

---

Tim's watch blinked '9:25' as he shoved his costume into his backpack. Years of training had brought him the ability to change from civilian clothing to spandex and Kevlar hero-gear lightening-fast. He headed out of the convenient store bathroom into the street, hoping Kon wouldn't be late.

Tim waited at the corner of Picksworth and 15th. '9:29'. Tim began to get a sinking feeling in his stomach as he realized what he was doing, playing hooky from his job as a protector of the city. '9:30'.

"Dammit Kon. You'd think the ability to fly would make someone timely, but no." Tim scoffed as he looked up into the dense, grey sky.

"I am timely!" A cocky voice from behind Tim laughed out.

He turned around to see Superboy leaning against a dumpster dressed in civilian clothing. The clothing though, interestingly enough, was still the blue, red, and yellow Superman color palette. His black hair was gelled into a stylish wave at the front, and dark sunglasses hid his eyes, even though it was nighttime. Superboy was pretty cool.

"Hey! How long have you been there?" Tim wondered.

"Not long. Long enough to see you pace and look worried. What is it Timmy, afraid I wasn't gonna show?" Kon squeezed Tim into a one armed hug.

"No, actually. I'm just a little paranoid about this whole thing." Tim started walking towards the restaurants and shops that made up the new 15th street district.

"Dude, chill out. You're never going to enjoy yourself with that kind of attitude."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, so what do you want to do?" Tim changed the subject.

"There's that new 3-D arcade." Kon suggested with a shrug.

"Ha! Since when do teenagers go to arcades anymore?" Tim laughed. That was something Dick enjoyed ten years ago.

"Since they're becoming all 3-D and badass. What do you care?"

"I don't. Let's go." Tim was beginning to loosen up as they turned into the large, dark room of the arcade. There were neon signs everywhere. Holographic 3-D images flashed and bounced off of the walls and floor. There were tons of kids and teenagers, and not very many adults.

"Cool." Kon observed.

"Uh, Kon," Tim said, "I don't think I have that much money for these games. I have a card but if I used that…Bruce would know."

"What? Does he check all of your purchases?" Kon raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Of course he does!" Tim was on the defense, "He's my guardian!"

"Why doesn't he just trust you to deal with your expenses? He trusts you enough to put your life on the line every week." Kon said seriously.

"I don't know…that's just how it is." Tim's voice got quieter. Tim had never thought about that. It did seem a little unfair.

"It's ok dude." Kon quickly changed his tone of voice and demeanor. He was going to have fun tonight and so was Tim, "I've got plenty of money on me. This'll be my treat, next time can be yours."

"Alright." Tim brightened at his friend's kindness, "But we can't spend too much time here. Just a few games, ok?"

"Sure, sure." Kon said noncommittally, "Let's hurry up then!" He sped off towards one of the cash to token machines and Tim raced to follow.

---

Clunk…clunk…clunk. Robin banged his head into the wall rhythmically as he thought about the past few hours.

"Stop that." A voice behind him spoke. He didn't turn around. Corner time meant no turning around until you were told to. He had learned that lesson before. Batman reached out from behind Tim and grabbed his head, stopping him from bumping it anymore.

"You're supposed to be thinking about your actions." Batman growled.

"I have been. I am!" Robin whined.

"Watch your tone." Batman still seemed a little pissed.

"Sorry sir." Tim ground out.

There was silence for a few moments.

"Sir? I have to go to the bathroom." Robin bounced on his toes slightly to emphasis his point.

"Alright. You may go. After you're done, come and see me at my desk." Batman pulled Robin out of the corner and gave him a slight shove towards the restroom stalls. 'As if I can't move myself' Tim thought. He turned around to look at Batman, but the guy was already gone.

---

"Bonus points! Dude!" Kon bursts into laugher as he jumped around with his plastic gun. They were both in a simulation booth game, shooting aliens and space ships. Kon proved to be particularly good at these shooting games, and he loved pointing out how unrealistic the graphics looked.

"Hey!" Tim yelled to get the other boy's attention, "Kon, I really have to go now. I have to meet Batman in 15 minutes."

"Tim, dude, I've almost got a max combo!"

"Kon! I'm serious, I have to go!"

"Alright, alright." Kon put the gun down and walked out of the booth, "Let me walk you out."

They were both headed towards the door when a group of teenage boys suddenly blocked their way,

"Well if it isn't Drake and his life-partner. Nice shades, douche." Brent McGregor, a senior with short buzzed blond hair and large muscles from too much weight training, stood with his gang of misfits from Gotham High.

"Brent, we were just leaving. You and your girlfriends can have this whole place to yourselves-"

"What did you just call me?" Kon interrupted Tim.

"I called you a douche, fag." Brent was pretty brave to call someone of Kon's build a name, but then again Brent wasn't so puny himself. Still, he was no match for the boy of steel. It was almost sad, what Brent and his gang were getting themselves into, but Kon had a hot temper that wasn't to be messed with.

"Come over here and say it to me." Kon stalked forward, a cool as could be, and there was even a smirk on his face.

Brent looked slightly worried; his hands were balled into fists held aloft at his sides.

"Miller, Ward, you take Drake. Ralph, Hammonds, and I have the douche." Brent called out and his boys were ready to answer.

"Wait, Brent, I don't want a fight." Tim really had somewhere to be!

"Stand up for yourself Tim!" Kon yelled back at him.

"Hah!" One of the other boys laughed out, "Like he ever does at school."

Kon looked surprised. He always knew Tim to be an agile fighter and an extremely reasonable guy; he could make almost anyone get along with him.

"Aw, little Timmy doesn't want to get into trouble. Poor little Timmy will wet his pants and his "Guardian" will have to come pick him up and take him back to kindergarden. Where are your real parents Timmy? Did you shame them into leaving you when they found out you had no spine?" Brent sneered.

CRACK! Faster than anyone could have anticipated, Kon had sliced his fist into Brent's jaw. Brent went down but he wasn't out yet. The rest of his gang jumped on Tim, all of them pretty afraid of Tim's new friend but none of them having qualms about taking the nerd out.

Tim was caught by surprise. First, he was a little scared about Brent's condition, sure, he hated the jackass, but he didn't want to see him seriously injured. Before he could move to check, four other guys were on him. They got a few kicks and a stomach punch in before Tim began to wrestle away. He couldn't fight back! Tim Drake wasn't a fighter. Ouch! Something cut into his arm. He looked over to see that John Ward had a sharpened piece of glass in his hand. This was getting dangerous.


	3. Chapter 3

Robin longed to take off his Robin suit as he washed his hands in the cave's fluorescently lit restroom. What a stark contrast the little room of necessity was to the outer recesses of the underground hideout. The suit felt constraining at the moment, it seemed to choke him and press in on his chest and wrists and ankles. Or was that his apprehension and guilt taking physical form? Tim knew he would be even more uncomfortable soon enough, why add to that? But he knew Batman would see his transgressions as more Robin than Tim transgressions. Tim was punished upstairs in the warm cherry wood glow of Bruce's study. Robin was punished in the dark and cool pockets of the cave. It was only fitting. Bruce and Batman were both strict, but Batman spanked harder and Bruce talked more. Actually, he was in for a lecture either way, but usually a longer spanking with Batman. More was at stake when Batman had to raise his hand to Robin. God, the fact the he could come to this comparative conclusion confounded him. Sometimes he was too confident for his own good, and it got him in trouble, whether he was Tim or Robin. And Robin had a lot more confidence than Tim.

He glanced at his reflection in the mirror, his face was over all pale, either from lack of sun or fear, probably both, and his cheeks were tinged pink with what was surely embarrassment, though the black eye mask hid some of that.

"Robin, are you sure you want to dawdle at a time like this?" A growl came out of the darkness. The question was rhetorical. The answer was obvious. No, definitely not.

Robin hurried away out of the bright restroom and waited a precious moment longer to let his eyes adjust before moving towards the large computer and research station. There was a very big table there, along with a few chairs and slightly more light, and Batman preferred to start lectures there. The Man stood a ways back in the shadow until Robin came closer.

Robin's hands began to feel sweaty beneath his gloves and cold perspiration leapt up on his neck. 'Calm down, you didn't try to do anything wrong, just explain yourself rationally!' he told himself.

"Sit." Batman commanded while he chose to stand.

Robin sat. Unsure of where to put his hands, he fumbled with them for a second then left them limp in his lap.

"Hands palms down on the table, I want constant eye contact and as little fidgeting as possible." Batman sure asked a lot of a nervous kid.

"Now, first I want to hear a bit more of your story, so I can begin to weave it with what I saw happen. Do not lie or down play anything, I deserve more respect than that." His tone was sharp but his eyes were kind behind the cowl. Robin started with the phone call that Tim received from Kon.

- -

John's jagged glass weapon reached a little too close to Tim's neck for comfort, and he lurched into Robin defense mode. The boys surrounding him were nursing headaches on the ground in seconds, and as he stumbled to brush himself off and look sheepish in spite of the fighting techniques he had just demonstrated, he looked to Kon, who stood over the scene looking half-bored and half-amused. But oh no, quite the crowd of teens were now surrounding them, as well as some disgruntled employees of the arcade.

Tim made to move toward the front of the building,

"Stop right there, son." An officer of the law made his way forward.

Oh please, not this. Not now.

"I'm sorry sir, but I am late for my curfew and I must leave." Tim wasn't sure the excuse would work.

"Then you shouldn't have picked a fight." It didn't.

"But he didn't pick the fight, sir, we were attacked on our way out. Anyone here could have seen that." Kon argued. Kon motioned to the surrounding teens but most of them just shrugged. They hadn't really noticed that anything was amiss in the arcade until the group of boys was already mid-scuffle.

"Sure, kid." The silver-haired but buff older officer had a hard time believing a guy like Kon wouldn't start a fight. Even the jaunt of his stiff and short black hair gave off a cocky aura.

"Really officer, that one boy," Tim pointed, "Pulled out a piece of glass and threatened us, we only fought because we had to, not because we wanted to."

"Be that as it may, I still need to take you lot down to the station. We've had too many young gangs stirring things up around here. This district just got cleaned up too, and I don't want to see it become murky on my watch." The officer looked to his men who had just showed up, they began to help the other boys up off the floor while keeping hard eyes on Tim and Kon.

The two teenage superheroes exchanged glances. Kon looked apologetic and Tim looked angry and worried. He had his Robin costume on him, just waiting to be found through a search, and now he was officially late in meeting up with Batman for one of the most important planned busts of the year. His butt was toast.

- -

"So you just decided hanging out with Kon was worth skipping your watch?" Batman questioned in an even tone.

"Well, I didn't think it could hurt too much." Robin hated this. He hated recounting his steps and having his every thought and action analyzed. It wasn't fair.

"Could hurt too much?"

Robin winced. He could almost see that coming the second after the words came out of his mouth.

"Well, I knew it wasn't the right thing to do, but I didn't think it was horrible. People play hooky all the time, and I was only planning to meet up with him for a short while. I wouldn't skip my whole watch!" Robin felt his voice gain a higher pitch as he realized his own faulty and childish logic. He had to find something to hang on to! It had all made some sort of sense a few safe hours ago.

"But you would skip part of it, leaving the rest of the vigilantes of this town uninformed while you put playtime ahead of work." Disgust was evident in the man's voice.

"Yeah, well…I thought we could both use a rest, both me and Gotham." Robin felt stupid. He hadn't meant his words to come out that way. Surely there was a clearer explanation!

"A rest? Surely you cannot be serious? Am I talking to the right Robin?" Batman's eyes were fierce now.

Robin couldn't help it; he felt unsure of his every word and trapped. His hands began to slide on the slick table surface and his mask felt itchy. Oh how he wanted to scratch it! He averted his eyes for a few seconds and they flicked about the room. He began to clench and unclench his toes, trying to will his body not to fidget. It only made it worse. He tapped his toes and moved his hips.

"Stop." Batman uttered, leaning forward slightly toward the boy.

"But-" Robin couldn't stop, he fidgeting increased and he blinked furiously.

"Self-control."

"Ugh." 'Easy for you to say.'

"Continue the story with where you left off-"

"No!" Robin blurted out. He needed to take back some control.

"Excuse me?" Batman seemed truly surprised for one brief moment.

"I don't want to, it's not fair! Why should I have to recount every single moment of tonight over again? Why can't you just hit me and get it over with!" Robin yelled, his hands now fists clenching the side of the table.

Batman stood speechless for a moment. The boy was obviously frustrated, but too many mistakes were made tonight from careless insubordination such as this.

Yes, this was a partnership on one hand, but he was also the boy's mentor, teacher, and guardian. Surely Robin did not think he liked to hit him, or discipline him, rather. No, the teen was trying to rile him up, though he did not know why. Robin probably did not know why either. Really the boy should be in bed, but this could not wait until later. He needed the focus of the teen if they were to get through this in an efficient and timely manner.

Robin watched as Batman stood there staring at him. Maybe he was considering what Robin had yelled? Or maybe-

"Ouch!" Robin was wrenched up and several hard and fast swats fell on his tight-clad bottom. He was turned back around to face Batman and was pulled by the material of his suit right up to the man's face. His toes barely touched the floor and Batman leaned over.

"Robin, you are being very disrespectful right now. I know you are tired, but I also know you are better behaved than this. I don't think you want to recount your story while over my knee? Or do you require constant physical motivation?" Batman watched as Robin's eyes lost their angry edge and became more resigned.

"No, Batman. Please, I will try harder to behave. I just wish you wouldn't question my every word. It makes me nervous, as if I wasn't already nervous enough." Robin's bottom still stung and he knew he was being a brat, but he wasn't sure Batman was being entirely fair.

"Perhaps you are right. I do not mean to make you overly nervous. I will try to save my questioning until closer to the end." Batman compromised. He then pushed Robin into a seated position on the tabletop, so that their bodies and heads were at a closer proximity than before. He waited patiently for Robin to continue.

"Alright, so I wasn't using the best judgment, but I honestly thought it wouldn't take that long. But I didn't know I would get into a fight…or that Kon would try to escape the police…"


	4. Chapter 4

( Author's note: Sorry this took so long. Life is kicking my ass. I barely have time to sleep, but luckily I found a little bit of time to write. Enjoy!)

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The officer, Officer Miller, whose name they had now learned, kept a hand on both Tim and Kon's shoulders as he led them out of the arcade. Try as they might they couldn't talk him out of bringing them into the station.

"But we didn't do anything wrong!" Tim cried out for the fifth time.

"Disturbing the peace can be a punishable offense. Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Officer Miller said sternly. He thought these boys seemed nice enough, but someone had to stand as an example to the others.

"Screw this!" Kon yelled as he easily slipped out of the man's grasp. He quickly leapt around a corner and was off.

Officer Miller immediately started running, dragging Tim along with him, but when he turned the corner Kon was nowhere in sight.

"What the…?" The officer was stumped, it was a narrow and empty alley flanked by tall buildings. There was not even a hint of the red and blue-clad teen.

"Where did he go?" Officer Miller turned on Tim.

"I don't know sir." Tim lied. Kon had took off and flown, probably at lightening fast speeds.

The officer spent several minutes searching through the bits of trash and debris that littered the alley before he gave up.

Tim checked his watch. It was 10:40, the meeting was rumored to start at around 10:15 or so. Oh no, surely by this time Batman was waiting outside the old sewing machine factory for him. Or would he try to bust in by himself? Call for backup? Worry about Robin's well being? His comm. link was in his backpack but it was turned off. When on patrol Robin was under strict orders to never turn off his comm. link. One time he had turned it off by accident and Batman went ape shit when he couldn't be reached. When he finally found his junior partner he shook the younger man roughly and Robin could see watery eyes behind the cowl. A worried Batman equaled an angry Batman somewhere down the line. He had been hauled home and sentenced to several essays on carelessness and preparation. He spent five hours with his nose in the corner and went to bed without supper. It was harsh, but it could have been much, much worse. Tim didn't even want to think of the consequences that would come at the end of tonight. Of course, he was getting ahead of himself. First he needed to get out of this bind with the Gotham police.

"Sir, please. I need to get home. I have younger siblings to take care of." Tim tried to look earnest with his plea.

"Oh really, I wasn't aware that Bruce Wayne had more wards than you and Officer Grayson of the Bludhaven police department." Narrowed eyes shot in his direction. He was caught in the middle of a lie…so the officer had run a background check.

"Yes, well, I have cousins and they are staying with me for the week. I wish I had siblings so I refer to them as such on occasion." Tim knew it sounded like crappy reasoning, but he kept his face as straight as possible.

"Sure kid. Look, I already told you, I aim to make an example out of ya, and the fact that you're the Billionaire's kid only makes the example even stronger."

Oh no, now not only Robin was going to be in trouble, but so was Tim.

"Sir, please, just let me go, I really don't want to make my father angry, he has a lot to deal with right now. I swear I wasn't trying to get into a fight, I was just defending myself." Tim slowly began to inch away.

"Kid, it's no use arguing. Now let's go, I don't want to have to take you by force down to the station. I'm sure Mr. Wayne would find that even more embarrassing. It's really no big deal, he'll just have to come down to the station in person and get you." Officer Miller could see that the boy looked seriously worried. He clutched the straps of his backpack like a lifeline.

"Say kid, whatcha got in that backpack?"

"Uh…what?" Tim's eyes were wide.

"I said, what do you have in that backpack?"

"Nothing really, clothes and stuff…" Tim knew he couldn't search without good reason. But he did think Tim was some kinda teenage bully.

"Drugs?"

"No! Of course not."

"Weapons?"

"N-no." Well, there were some weapons in there - his folded up staff, a few batarangs, smoke pellets, zip lines, and more.

"Let me see it kid." Officer Miller stopped and reached one of his big greasy paws out to grasp the strap. The station was right in front of them.

"Why don't we go inside the station so I can call my dad?" Tim said as he jerked out of the man's grasp.

"Let me see the backpack." The officer's curiosity was piqued and he wanted to win this little victory. He grabbed again and the kid had the balls to push him away. He grabbed the boy's collar and jerked him forward roughly, and then found a sharp knee pummel into his groin.

"Ugh!" The officer dropped to his knees moaning, "God dammit! You fucker!"

Other officers had come outside and were making their way over to the two. Oh god, what should he do? Run? Fight? Surely those were not possible options.

"Timothy!" a voice called out behind him.

Tim turned around and saw Alfred walking towards him. Oh, how happy he was to see the older man!

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright." The English butler grasp his shoulders and quickly slipped the backpack off of him, folding it into the recesses of his coat before anyone could take notice. The guy was a pro at sleight of hand tricks.

"What's going on here?" Alfred to the rescue! Tim had the decency to look confused and shameful while the moaning officer on the ground tried to explain things through gritted teeth.

"I didn't know it would escalade like that…" Tim trailed off, as Batman knew the rest of the story from there.

The officers were willing to let Alfred stay with Tim in a holding cell until Bruce Wayne could make it to the station to sign the necessary papers. He finally came, looking flustered and angry. Tim was drug out of the station by his arm. Bruce insisted they change back into their costumes and go back the meeting location, just in case. But when they got to the factory it was completely deserted, not even a scrap of evidence left. It was a solemn trip back to the Batmobile, and once they were down the road a bit, Batman abruptly pulled over to the shoulder and yanked his younger partner over his lap, where he proceeded to whack away at his charge's bottom. Never had Batman been so impatient to punish Robin, and the boy knew then that he had really screwed up.

"It's taken months to nail down the exact location and time of that meeting! I had no idea where you were, if you had fallen in harm's way on patrol, if you had forgotten, if you were dead! If you want a night off in the future, ask me! There are plenty of other nights when I can afford to work alone. Tonight was not that night." There was deep disappointment in Batman's eyes. Robin had to look away.

"I know it won't make any difference, but I'm really sorry!"

"Are you Robin? Will sorry bring back months of hard work? Will sorry help all the victims of the Montego Crime Syndicate?"

Robin didn't even know how to respond to that. All he could do was sit shrunken down on the tabletop, tears dripping from his face. Batman stood in front of him, hands on his hips.

"Robin, let's get this over with, we both need to get some sleep. At 8am we are going to start over with your level 6 drills-"

"But I've worked up to level 17!" Robin choked out. He couldn't believe it! It wasn't like his abilities had regressed.

Batman acted like he hadn't even heard him and as he reached over to pull Robin off of the table.

"I can't believe it." Robin said while scowling. Batman grunted and pulled a straight-backed chair over and sat down.

"You know what I can't believe?" Batman said as he pulled Robin to stand between his legs, "That my partner, my ward, that I trust with my life, would play hooky from his duties of protecting the city to go to an arcade and start a fight with some common teenage thugs! Then, on top of that, get into trouble with the local police, almost leading to his secret identity being discovered due to his carelessness."

"But a lot of that wasn't really my fault! It just sort of happened." Robin mumbled as his tights were lowered, he reached back to do it himself but his hands were slapped away.

"And in the midst of all that happening, we miss one of the largest crime busts of the year. If I would have known I couldn't trust you to be there I would have made prior arrangements with Nightwing or the Huntress."

"The Huntress! I'm more reliable than she is, plus she probably has some family in that group. I meant to make it there on time, I just got held up and once I knew the cop knew who I was I couldn't just run off – Bruce Wayne's reputation was a stake!" Robin huffed as he was lowered over the man's lap.

"Exactly, one purposeful mistake led to several other severe problems. You acted with the foolishness of a child." With that Batman locked Robin's leg in-between his, braced his left arm over the teen's back, and used the other to begin to place very forceful, determined, and well-placed smacks onto the wiggling backside before him.

Robin sucked in his breath with the first smack. Batman had used the word "child". He hated being called a child.

"It wasn't just a matter of you disobeying my trust with your actions, you showed carelessness towards your job, your classmates, and you were disrespectful to the police. We still have a court date to straighten out the little matter of you kneeing Officer Miller in the groin. Was that really necessary? Is Tim an upstanding A student at Gotham High or a juvenile delinquent?"

"Uh…maybe it would be good for my image. You know, very opposite than Robin." Tim suggested. He found it hard to talk while being smacked.

"Right now Robin isn't exactly the image of a perfectly obedient teen, would you say old chum?" Batman said in a gruff sarcastic voice as he smacked at the tender area where the buttocks met thighs hard and several times in a row.

"Uh…OW! Ah…no, no I guess not." Robin didn't want to continue this conversation. He was quickly losing his composure.

Batman smacked a few more times with his gloved hand before he stopped. But Robin was smarter than he was a few years ago when he first started. It wasn't over yet.

"Ahh!" Robin screamed out when something cold and metal bit into his flesh. He craned his head a bit and made out that it was the metal ruler from the nearby drafting table. Batmen lifted up his right leg so that Robin tipped forward, the tops of his legs becoming more exposed to the cool cave air. Oh no.

"Uh!" Robin began to gasp through desperately clinched teeth as Batman thoroughly smacked the back of his thighs with the ruler. He couldn't hold his relatively quiet and steady composure any more. The fire in his backside was more than he could stand and all he knew was that he needed to be away from it. He kicked his legs and shifted his hips. He pressed onto the floor with the palms of his hands and tried to get leverage to push himself off of his punisher's lap.

"Robin. Calm down. Stop it." Batman demanded and punctuated his command with several more smacks to the red thighs.

"Easy for you to say. Let me up! Please!" Robin needed to rub his legs, needed to run to a cool bath, needed to get away.

Robin was abruptly pulled into a standing position right side up. He almost fell over from lack of balance and Batman held him straight.

"We are not done."


	5. Chapter 5

Robin stood there, with hot tears dripping down his face and a stinging and even hotter rear end bared for the whole cave to see. His breath came is great shaky gasps as he tried to gain some composure. He wanted so badly to reach back and touch his backside but knew just how much Batman would hate it if he did that. Self-control. I have self-control.

"Robin, when you were younger and I had to punish you for various transgressions, you took it a whole lot better than you are now." Batman said almost accusingly.

"You've never used a metal ruler before!" Robin whined.

"Alfred suggested I use his cane."

Robin's eyes went wide in fear.

"Lucky for you I didn't heed his advice."

"Yes sir."

"Robin, lay yourself over the table, reaching your hands forward to grasp the other side."

Robin did as he was told, and the product of reaching that far was that his toes barely touched the floor.

"Batman, please tell me what you mean to do." Robin really didn't want any more surprises tonight.

"I am going to use an implement I swore I would never use except in the most extreme circumstances. You have lied, willfully disobeyed, and acted brashly and foolishly. I will not tolerate lying. You know this. I am going to use my father's belt." Batman said, and there was a hint of regret in his voice.

Robin felt like he was going to pass out, but he dare not object any further.

"Y-yes sir."

Batman folded the thick leather of the belt over in two, making a loop. He made sure to hold the buckle tightly in his grasp so that it would never accidentally strike the skin of his disobedient young charge.

WHAP!

The first strike was laid down across the already red flesh. Robin clenched his teeth and pushed his forehead down onto the cool surface of the table.

WHAP!

Several strikes were landed in an even and precise fashion across the boy's bottom. By the time Batman had laid the third stinging stripe Robin was whimpering. By the fifth he was grunting and by the ninth he was openly crying. Batman threw down the accursed belt he had felt so long ago and peeled off his gloves. He pulled Robin off of the table and held him up to face his punisher. The boy's eye mask was soaked, his eyes were red, their lids puffy, and his cheeks were flushed.

"Please. Do. Not. Disobey. Me." Batman punctuated these words each with a barehanded swat while looking Tim right in the eyes. Tim was so happy to have the skin-to-skin contact at last. He dove forward into the hard black chest and gripped Batman tightly. Batman pushed his cowl off and Robin's eye mask back and then wove his arms around the smaller frame.

"I'm so sorry Bruce. I really didn't mean any harm."

"I know son, you usually have good intentions. You just need to learn to weigh the consequences of each action. Superboy doesn't know what Robin knows. Trust Robin. If your friends are your real friends they will understand."

"I was such a brat. I was so selfish! Please forgive me." Tim pleaded. His bright blue eyes were still filled with tears and guilt.

"You have already been forgiven." Batman reached down and kissed the sweaty forehead.

"Now, it's really time for bed. We'll put off your drills until noon." Batman said as he led Robin to the locker room to change.

"Yes sir."

"As far as Tim goes, we have a lot to discuss as well. But we'll deal with that tomorrow."

"Yes sir."

"And Tim, please, for God's sake, leave your comm. link on at all times." Bruce had changed into a white shirt and sweatpants, and Robin into similar work out gear. If anyone asked where they had been were they to come out of the cave and be discovered by unwelcome guests, they could point to the in-house gym across from the secret entrance to the cave.

"I know, I was just afraid of my identity being discovered."

"Next time, anytime you are getting yourself into a situation where you have it on you but you are not in costume, turn it on silent mode." Bruce advised.

"Yes sir." Tim felt sore, hot, sick, and his backside and thighs burned so much against the clinging workout pants. He felt like fainting.

"Tim, are you alright?" Bruce asked, looking back at the boy as they headed for the cave's elevator.

"Sir…I feel sick." Tim looked up at him and his legs were like jello, shaky and unsteady.

Bruce quickly came to the boy's side and swept him into his arms. Perhaps he had pushed the boy too far after such a long night.

"I haven't really eaten today…I was too nervous." Tim confessed as Bruce carried him to the elevator.

"I'll have Alfred bring you a tray."

"Thank you." Tim relaxed in Bruce's grasp. He felt safe and loved. Most of the time he didn't like Bruce's harsh disciplinary measures, but he understood them on some level, and was glad he had a guardian who cared about him so much. Batman did trust him with his life, and he should never take advantage of that trust.


	6. Chapter 6

The first thing Tim Drake noticed when he woke up was the sting in his rear-end, and second, the time on his bedside alarm clock. 12:10.

"Woah!" It couldn't be_ that_ late!

Tim jumped out of bed, ignoring the sting that made him want to move slowly, and hurried to dress. He was late for his training drills with Bruce! Surely being late today after yesterday's events was a bad thing. He ran out of his room and bounded downstairs towards one of the cave entrances.

As he rounded a hallway, he heard voices coming from the kitchen,

"I don't know Alfred. He was just so tired last night when I put him to bed. He could barely eat, he was nodding off into his plate."

"No, I think you are right sir, I think he needed to sleep in. Of course it should not become a habit."

"I don't think Tim would let that happen."

Tim didn't want them to know he had overheard them, so he backed up a few steps and yelled out,

"Bruce! I'm sorry I'm late! I didn't mean to oversleep. I must have forgotten to set my alarm for this morning."

Bruce pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen and came out into the wide hallway.

"It's alright Tim, you did remember, I just turned it off." Bruce said with a sympathetic smile.

"Thank you sir." Tim replied, "I am ready to start now, if you are."

"Son, I think you'd better eat. Let Alfred prepare you some lunch. While you're eating we can talk about some important business that needs addressing." Bruce looked slightly concerned.

"Yes sir." Tim felt a lump form in his throat.

Alfred had already prepared Tim a light lunch of soup and sandwiches – that man was always on top of everything! Tim munched quietly at the end of the long dining room table while Bruce paced around him.

"Well, it turns out being Bruce Wayne doesn't always help to get you out of sticky legal situations." Bruce said sternly.

"What do you mean?" Tim asked as he pushed his plate away. He felt slightly nauseous.

"Your little run in with the police yesterday isn't quite over yet. You have a court hearing in two days. The press had gotten a hold of the story and it's all over the news."

"Oh no!" Tim was mortified, "I'm so sorry!"

"I am too. I know you didn't want this to happen." Bruce said with a shake of his head.

"Of course not! What does it all mean?" Tim was afraid to know the answer.

"The Gotham Police Department wants to make an example of you. There is talk of juvenile jail time."

"What?!" Tim was shocked, "Jail time!"

"In a juvenile detention center."

"No! No no no no! Tim Drake is a good guy!" Tim felt like he was going to vomit. His head was spinning and he couldn't see straight.

"I know Tim Drake is a good guy, but Officer Miller is hell bent on Tim's punishment. He wanted worse, but my lawyer is in talks with the department about a lighter sentence. My publicist thinks it would be best for Bruce Wayne's family image for you to be sent off for at least a few weeks. The rich aren't exempt from the rules and all that…" Bruce said regretfully.

"But I _was_ punished!" Tim cried out, burying his head in his hands.

"I know son." Bruce placed a comforting hand on Tim's back.

"But, I think I've got a great way to turn this bad luck into good luck." Bruce continued.

Tim looked up suspiciously, "How?"

Bruce sat down next to Tim and began, "You know the young Biagio gang - the group of teenage miscreants that have been responsible for the recent outbreak of theft and assault in the shopping district? They've begun taking after their parents, and their crimes become more serious with each year. Many of them have been sentenced to time in the Bludhaven Juvenile Detention Center. It's a correctional school more than anything. Well, the strange thing is, their parents very willingly send them there. Over and over, brothers, cousins - there are a lot of young Biagios and their friends inside that correctional facility. But based on their parentage, I can't see why they would want such a thing for their young. Far as I figured, they're training to became just as bad as their mobster parents."

"So, what does that have to do with me going to…oh! Duh! You want me to spy on this gang." It was all so clear to Tim, he felt stupid for not realizing it sooner.

"Exactly. I want to find out their intentions, their motives, and their reasons for their parents' actions. There is a reason they are in that facility together, and I want you to find out why." Bruce looked at Tim with the utmost seriousness.

"Of course I'll do it," Tim said, "Still…what a sucky job. How are teens treated in that place?"

"Well, judging by the facility's website, very strictly. They have a very good track record for turning troubled teens into shining community leaders. They've been using the same old-fashioned methods for years. Once when I was a kid Alfred threatened to send me there."

"Wow." Tim was overwhelmed. "Okay. So I guess your lawyers will bargain with the department to get me sent to the Bludhaven. It'll make Bruce look good because it'll be like you want a firm hand with your wayward ward, so that will hopefully shadow my track record. And…no one would suspect Robin to be a juvenile delinquent."

"Yes. I'll miss you on patrol but you'll be doing important work inside those walls." Bruce looked at Tim with swelling trust and pride in his partner.

"When do you think I'll be sent there?" Tim questioned.

"After the hearing in two days. You'll be there for around two months, most likely."

"Hmm…" Tim thought for a second, "What if that's not enough time?"

"Then you act up, and we keep you in for another month."

"Alright." Tim sighed. The once geeky high schooler would have to now pass himself off as a teenage thug. Oh, the life I live.

"I'll visit you periodically. We can set up a system of code words in the mean time that will be useful for the supervised communication."

"Yes sir."

"Good boy," Bruce was happy to see such maturity and acceptance in Tim's attitude. The adjustment last night must have worked. Speaking of adjustments,

"Oh, and Tim?"

"Yeah Bruce?"

"I talked to Clark earlier this morning. Kon didn't get off so easily from his behavior yesterday either." Bruce said with a smirk.

"Oh?" Tim couldn't really say he was upset to hear this news. After all, he didn't think it was fair that he be the only one punished for yesterday's events.

"Yes. Clark told me to tell you that Kon is really sorry that he got you into such a mess. He said Kon's going to make it up to you in the future."

"Great!" Said Tim with a smile. It might be handy to cash in a favor from a super boy.

But right now, he had to prepare for the mission ahead.

The End

----

Author's note: This is the end of this story, but also the beginning of a new one. I'm excited to say that I have in the works a long saga chronicling Tim's stay in a juvenile detention center. It'll be hard work, but I think Tim's up to his new mission. There will be espionage, fighting, forged friendships, guest appearances, and of course, stern caregivers and punishment.


End file.
